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[explodet]

How crazy is it that Madden 2004, a game that was released not even a year ago, is so high up on the list? Fuckin' insane.

And isn't Madden 2005 expected to sell even more than 2004? I may have heard that statement kicking around here.

I was actually surprised at the Double Dash numbers, I didn't think it had done so well already. And I had NO IDEA Medal of Honor Frontline sold 2 million.

 

[Wellington]

And isn't Madden 2005 expected to sell even more than 2004? I may have heard that statement kicking around here.

I was actually surprised at the Double Dash numbers, I didn't think it had done so well already. And I had NO IDEA Medal of Honor Frontline sold 2 million.

Everyone and their mom was talking up Madden 2004. Anyone that I knew that even saw it would not shut up about it. Hell, I largely bought it because a good friend said it was awesome. It was like Goldeneye style word-of-mouth sales.

Damn, skimming through the list again, if Sony made simply $1 profit from each game sold for the PSX or PS2 on that list... that's a lot of fucking money.

 

[cvxfreak]

It's amazing how many N64 games sold as well as they did.

 

[jarrod]

So I guess Pokemon's sales never were that impressive when you take into account just how massive the GB/GBA fanbases really is in comparison to Pokemon's numbers?

Over 50% of GameBoy owners have a Pokemon game actually looking strictly at the numbers... comparatively about 33% of N64 owners had Mario 64. And about 13% of PlayStation owners have a GTA game.

 

[Mega Man's Electric Sheep]

This makes me sad:

2,336,132 N64 Donkey Kong 64 (Nintendo)

1,616,250 N64 Banjo-Kazooie (Nintendo)


I had no idea DK64 outsold Banjo Kazooie! People, what were you thinking?

 

[AniHawk]

This makes me sad:

2,336,132 N64 Donkey Kong 64 (Nintendo)

1,616,250 N64 Banjo-Kazooie (Nintendo)


I had no idea DK64 outsold Banjo Kazooie! People, what were you thinking?

"Well, I liked DKC, and Banjo-Kazooie, so..."

 

[Mega Man's Electric Sheep]

Yeah, I suppose you're right. But shouldn't half of those people have demanded a refund after they booted it up and

"Put your hands together, if you wanna clap
As we take you through, this monkey rap!
D-K! Donkey Kong!
D-K! Donkey Kong is here!"

Damn you smash bros melee for including this song! I wanted to forget the pain of attempting to rip out my own eardrums.....

 

[cvxfreak]

It was 2001, and only one two-three more Nintendo games came out for the system between Dr. Mario 64 and the GC.

If you ask me, Paper Mario 1 and Dr. Mario 64 should have been combined into a GC launch title.

 

[Cold Shadow]

Thanks to Sizzem at the PS2GB (IGN) for the list (via Shrine of Data). It's not 100% in lock step with NPD (probably someone cobbling together spreadsheets), but it's reallll damn close and since NPD isn't completely perfect anyway, this does just fine for government work


Consoles included: PSX, N64, DC, PS2, XBox, GC

http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~hokora/index.html

14. 2,948,058 PSX Frogger (Atari)

36. 2,031,548 PSX Namco Museum Vol. 3 (Namco)

--- 1,657,490 PSX Namco Museum Vol. 1 (Namco)

--- 1,534,029 PSX Tetris Plus (Jaleco)

--- 1,456,265 PSX Rugrats: Search Reptar (THQ)

--- 1,272,385 PS2 The Simpsons: Road Rage (Electronic Arts)

---- 1,068,387 PSX Spongebob Supersponge (THQ)

---- 1,040,092 N64 Namco Museum 64 (Namco)

OMG, how can games like this sell over a million copies
and this
---- 1,077,769 N64 1080 Snowboarding (Nintendo)
Didn't know that avalanche did so much worse compared to n64 1080

 

[explodet]

---- 1,077,769 N64 1080 Snowboarding (Nintendo)
Didn't know that avalanche did so much worse compared to n64 1080

Well, between 1080 N64 and 1080 Avalanche, 3 SSX games and two Amped games were released. The competition was too stiff compared to the N64 days, where snowboarding games were few and far between (AFAIK).

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

Awesome work. i wonder if it's even feasable to do a complete chart for *every* game released this generation. I'd love to see the bottom 100...

 

[cvxfreak]

We got one of those in June 2003 but I wish they'd do another one.

 

[Vitten]

Somewhat worrying to notice the decline in overall sales numbers when you compare the numbers of this-gen versus last-gen.

 

[Miburou]

The US ps2 userbase is much higher than the US N64 userbase.

ُEr, actually, no. The PS2 right now has more or less the same userbase as the N64 in the US (~24M).

 

[madara]

Those f'ing GTA games outselling classics such as Mario 64, Goldeneye and Mario Kart just hurts my soul.

I agree, said state of affairs and what says about our society.

 

[Che]

Those f'ing GTA games outselling classics such as Mario 64, Goldeneye and Mario Kart just hurts my soul.

:thumbsup

 

[SolidSnakex]

I agree, said state of affairs and what says about our society.

What's so sad about it and what does it say about our society?

 

[sonycowboy]

Somewhat worrying to notice the decline in overall sales numbers when you compare the numbers of this-gen versus last-gen.

Not true. The market has increased significantly over last generation. 2003 was the greatest year ever in terms of $ sales. 2004 will beat that. There are several reasons for the "decline" you see at the top.

1) There are 3 solid competitors on the market vs 2 last gen, so the units are spread thinner per platform (relatively speaking).

2) There are ALOT more games out than the previous generation at this point in the cycle

3) Nintendo has faltered somewhat and it seems to be because they have not kept up with the markets maturation, specifically regarding mature themed games.

4) The mass-market has not yet kicked in to really give the Crashs/Spyros/Froggers of the world a serious bump into the stratosphere. Once the $129 price point and especially the $99 price point hit, you'll see a much stronger representation of those types of games in the sales charts.

5) This gen is approximately only half-way through. The games at the top of that list from last gen sold well to the end of the generation and a substantial percentage of their sales were due to the continued sales they enjoyed.

 

[MoccaJava]

3) Nintendo has faltered somewhat and it seems to be because they have not kept up with the markets maturation, specifically regarding mature themed games.

I'm not sure what to say of this, except that it's extremely stupid.

 

[SolidSnakex]

[qupte]3) Nintendo has faltered somewhat and it seems to be because they have not kept up with the markets maturation, specifically regarding mature themed games.

I'm not sure what to say of this, except that it's extremely stupid.[/QUOTE]

It's not stupid because it's the truth. Nintendo hasn't kept up with the market style. They were in it last gen and stayed the same this gen despite the market going off in another direction. That's the difference between Nintendo and other companies. Nintendo does what they want, other companies do what they want while still doing what the mainstream market obviously wants.

 

[Mustang]

You'd swear the N64 dominated the last gen if you look at the first few games in that list....

Never doubt the power of obsessed fanboys.

 

[mashoutposse]

What's so sad about it and what does it say about our society?

Not sad at all.

-People have grown up and out of silly 'mascot' games. Those who were 10 in the late 80s are now in their mid-to-late twenties; mascots in the traditional form are no longer needed for the branding of games and/or consoles.

-The hardcore and the masses alike are willing to forego eye candy for an exceptional gameplay experience.

-Games that properly harness the gameplay potential of 3D without sacrificing the appeal of the premise are highly sought after.

-Continuing with the above, such games can be wildly successful even with a low-visibility marketing campaign. Generating positive word of mouth is still the most effective way to sell a game.

The success of GTA demonstrates to me that the gaming 'society' is still quite healthy.

 

[etiolate]

I still don't understand GTA3.

The N64 was a freaking cash cow.

edit: GTA3 is recognized for being a good game, but its sales have little to do with gamers being more 'mature' or it being a great gameplay experience. It's gameplay is adequate but full of faults. It's success has to deal with games being more commercialized and mainstream. GTA3 is full of Mafia movie feel, pop culture references, licensed music and the classic selling point of sex + violence.

edit: I guess I do understand GTA3.

 

[Spiritreaver]

Blech, can we all step aside from out fanboyisms and look at the video game industry as a whole? I would really love for someone to add up all those figures. The list alone makes you feel happy that such forms of entertainment exist.

 

[SolidSnakex]

I still don't understand GTA3.

The N64 was a freaking cash cow.

edit: GTA3 is recognized for being a good game, but its sales have little to do with gamers being more 'mature' or it being a great gameplay experience. It's gameplay is adequate but full of faults. It's success has to deal with games being more commercialized and mainstream. GTA3 is full of Mafia movie feel, pop culture references, licensed music and the classic selling point of sex + violence.

edit: I guess I do understand GTA3.

As mash said, it does have alot to do with GTA's gameplay. Everything you mentioned as GTA's selling point can be found in games similar to GTA. The one thing you can't find in games similar to GTA is the amount of freedom you're given in the series. The game is just much more wide open and allows much more gameplay options. That's GTA's main selling point, not the violence, not the sex (which is an extremely minor part of the series) ect. it's that unlike other games similar to the series, it's the only one that actually makes you feel like you can do anything you want.

 

[segasonic]

Those f'ing GTA games outselling classics such as Mario 64, Goldeneye and Mario Kart just hurts my soul.

Those f'ing GTA games are already classics themselves...

What really hurts your soul, is probably the fact that they're not from Nintendo...

 

[mashoutposse]

I still don't understand GTA3.


edit: GTA3 is recognized for being a good game, but its sales have little to do with gamers being more 'mature' or it being a great gameplay experience.

GTA3 offered an amazing and groundbreaking level of freedom. It's one of those games that just sounds like a great idea; a perfect fit for a strong word of mouth campaign. It also is quite possibly the greatest 1p multi-player game ever -- even watching other players run around the city, cause havoc, and dodge the police was great fun.

Games that offer mediocre gaming experiences don't sell 10 million copies. In fact, looking at the Top 10, every single one of those games are truly the highest quality games of each of their respective genres.

 

[thorns]

If you count the Xbox Double pack ( 1 million) and PS2 double pack sales of GTA games as well (which essentially add +1 to sales of each game), they're both easily the best selling games of this generation.

 

[rawk]

Another factor in Nintendo not reaching the sales heights of last generation, I think, (in addition to the lower install base in America) is the greater number of quality titles available for the GC than were on the N64. It may be hard to remember now, but the N64 would go months with NOTHING. And I mean nothing. Some people complain about the GC not having enough titles, but there's at least some major third party games coming out at a reasonable clip.

 

[djtiesto]

This is pretty sad... I'm surprised FF7 did so poorly, I could've sworn it was gonna be in the top 10... and I'm also surprised Halo did so well, that game was pretty mediocre when all was said and done (maybe, being the only reasonably decent game for Xbox at the time?) With the N64, it seems that there was a new big game every few months, that's probably why there were a lot of high-selling games, since people didn't have the diversity of the PSX lineup. Looking at all my friends who bought N64, their game libraries were all pretty similar (Starfox, Smash Bros, Mario 64, OOT, Goldeneye). Personally, the only N64 game I own that I still give a damn about is Sin & Punishment.

And I really hope the person who thought Goldeneye was a classic is joking. (I never got why Americans are so obsessed with FPS games)

 

[u_neek]

--- 2,457,962 PSX Final Fantasy VII (Sony/Square-Enix)
--- 1,913,888 PSX Final Fantasy VIII (Square-Enix)
--- 1,347,964 PSX Final Fantasy IX (Square-Enix)

and --- 2,099,665 PS2 Final Fantasy X (Square-Enix) - back on track baby!!
(FFX-2 doesn't count)

 

[sonycowboy]

and --- 2,099,665 PS2 Final Fantasy X (Square-Enix) - back on track baby!!
(FFX-2 doesn't count)

Wait for FFXII. Worldwide it and GT4 will reign supreme.

 

[dog$]

This makes me sad:
2,336,132 N64 Donkey Kong 64 (Nintendo)
1,616,250 N64 Banjo-Kazooie (Nintendo)
I had no idea DK64 outsold Banjo Kazooie! People, what were you thinking?

<people> I want that free RAM pack.

Those f'ing GTA games outselling classics such as Mario 64, Goldeneye and Mario Kart just hurts my soul.

So tragic it's Greek.

 

[u_neek]

Wait for FFXII. Worldwide it and GT4 will reign supreme.

Square isn't really hyping FFXII at the moment and it has only appeared 2 or 3 times on GameSpot's top 10 popularity charts.

 

[sonycowboy]

Square isn't really hyping FFXII at the moment and it has only appeared 2 or 3 times on GameSpot's top 10 popularity charts.

It's over 12 months away! What do you expect? Do you honestly think it won't be one of the biggest games of 2005?

 

[djtiesto]

It's over 12 months away! What do you expect? Do you honestly think it won't be one of the biggest games of 2005?

Not if it's running against GTAeoria, IL or GTA:Branson, MO or whatever crap Rockstar is gonna churn out next (no offense if you're actually from either of those 2 cities ).

FFXII might be a bit too "hardcore" for people, if it's more along the lines of Vagrant Story than the vapid, easy gameplay of FFX2.

 

[jarrod]

If you count the Xbox Double pack ( 1 million) and PS2 double pack sales of GTA games as well (which essentially add +1 to sales of each game), they're both easily the best selling games of this generation.

Actually, no. Pokemon RuSa is still in the top spot at 13+ million and it continues to move 100-200k a month. :/

 

[sonycowboy]

Not if it's running against GTAeoria, IL or GTA:Branson, MO or whatever crap Rockstar is gonna churn out next (no offense if you're actually from either of those 2 cities ).

FFXII might be a bit too "hardcore" for people, if it's more along the lines of Vagrant Story than the vapid, easy gameplay of FFX2.

Boy, you're just chock full of positive comments. Do you like ANY games?

 

[human5892]

About the Mortal Kombat sales: Didn't that game drop to firesale prices very quickly? In fact, wasn't there some kind of deal going lately where you could somehow get it for a penny? If so, I'm not sure we should be impressed with its numbers.

 

[djtiesto]

Human - some Gamestop manager offered me a copy of that game if I prebought Star Ocean:Till The End of Time... I declined, I haven't liked the MK games since 2.

sonycowboy - yes, just not this uninspired, free roming bullshit that most developers have been putting out nowadays. My favorite games this generation are Tales of Symphonia, Metroid Prime, ICO, and Smash Melee, and my most wanted games are Star Ocean 3, Ys 6, Gradius 5, and Katamari Damashii.

 

[jedimike]

Where is Metroid Prime? Arguably, one of the top 5 games of this generation and it hasn't even cracked 500K???

edit: ahh, thanx SC.

 

[sonycowboy]

Where is Metroid Prime? Arguably, one of the top 5 games of this generation and it hasn't even cracked 500K???

You just missed it.

120. 1,139,211 PSX Twisted Metal 3 (Sony)
---- 1,139,096 N64 WCW vs. NWO: World Tour (THQ)
---- 1,131,336 GCN Metroid Prime (Nintendo)

 

[Greekboy]

--- 1,486,612 N64 Cruisin USA (Nintendo)

LMAO @ anyone who bought this crap.

 

[heidern]

So I guess Pokemon's sales never were that impressive when you take into account just how massive the GB/GBA fanbases really is in comparison to Pokemon's numbers?

No, Pokemons sales have been very very impressive. In fact they have been the primary driver of the fanbase in recent years, just like Mario 64 at the time. GTA is also very impressive in it's sales, the most impressive game in the last couple of years actually. But is just not quite as impressive as Mario 64 which had a lower userbase to sell to(which it also helped create), and a significantly higher price. Nor is it as impressive as Pokemon which helped create the GBA business into the powerhouse it has.

 

[DDayton]

I think we should get GBC, GB, and GBA sales added into that list.

 

[FeedMeAStrayCat]

It's so nice to see GoldenEye 007 so high on the list.. it is my all-time favorite game, after all. That's why it's up there... (or not)..

I do agree with some people that perhaps the GTA games shouldn't be up that high.. they are definitely good games, and certainly entertaining.. but also highly overrated in my opinion. Poor controls, especially.

Then again, I'm sure people think GE007 is overrated as well, so.. bleh.

 

[shuri]

If GTA3 was called TOKYO TRIAD LIFE was made by <insert trendy japanese company>, featuring asian art-style and j-pop, some of the silly japanophiles in this thread would be praising it to all hell :rolleyes and would go on and on about how the game changed videogaming. It's the same kind of people who spit on britney's music yet got gigs and gigs of the same crap but in japanese.

 

[Insertia]

Good to see Mario64 topped. I always thought it was pure overrated platformer shit. :/

Sad to see Vice City as #1. That spot truly belongs to GTA3. GTA3 will eventually top SM64, but it deserves #1. It's the game that separated this gen from last gen.

 

[SolidSnakex]

If GTA3 was called TOKYO TRIAD LIFE was made by <insert trendy japanese company>, featuring asian art-style and j-pop, some of the silly japanophiles in this thread would be praising it to all hell :rolleyes and would go on and on about how the game changed videogaming. It's the same kind of people who spit on britney's music yet got gigs and gigs of the same crap but in japanese.

This stuff is even more annoying than the so called "Japanophiles". I love GTA but just because someone doesn't like it doesn't mean they're going go crazy over it if it was from a Japanese company. Some people just don't like the style of violence GTA presents and they aren't going to like it if it's made by Konami or Capcom anymore than they would with it beinbg made by Rockstar.

 

[Ranger X]

Interesting to notice that there's not much current gen games in the top 50...